User Reviews

Reviews by rudyarmand:

2.65/5 rDev -30.4%vibe: 2 | quality: 4 | service: 1 | selection: 3

I recently returned from a two week trip to Holland, Belgium and Germany. I planned to visit several of the highly rated bars and restaurants recommended by Beer Advocate members. One of the places I was most excited about going to was the Erasmus in Brugges.

I was disappointed to see that there bar area had only three booths each seating four patrons. Fortunately, one of the booths was available. Drinking at the next two tables were some Englishmen carrying copies of Michael Jackson's beer reviews. We found out that they were planning to dine at the Erasmus and were excited to try the special of Flemish stew cooked in Belgian Ale.

We looked over the eight offerings on tap and were upset that two of them were unavailable. We finally ordered some Chimay and some St. Fuillien. After ten minutes this blonde waitress finally brought our beers and we were already not happy to see that she didn't bother to fill the glasses up. In Europe, the glasses have a fill to level on the side of the glasses, but most sensible people fill the glasses up because that's good customer service. We tried the beers and the temperature was much too warm. We decided to cut our losses and get the heck out of there.

There are hundreds of bars in Belgium that serve the more rare Trappist offerings, and I must advise all my fellow BA members not to waste any euros at this over-hyped establishment. The positive reviews have gone to their heads!

More User Reviews:

This restaurant was attached to our hotel in Bruges. The look of the place is more French fine dining than beer bar. Their beer menu is extensive with 4 on tap and at least 30-40 in bottles, but one wouldn't know that by looking around.

The food this time was excellent as well. I had a Flemish beef stew made with Westmalle Dubbel and frites that really hit the spot! We shared some beers including Westmalle Dubbel, 3 Fonteinen Kriek, and others. Last time we stayed here they actually organized a beer pairing dinner for us that was amazing.

If you are a beer lover, I would not go here. If you are looking for a place to eat and have a beer, Cambrinus Restaurant is much better. They had four boring things on tap, and the food looked a little expensive. I left before even ordering anything. The people working there were nice enough, they just don't have enough good beer to justify going there over the other great places in Bruges. I would recommend struise, cambrinus, and 't burgs beertje over this place. It is nice to go down this side street though because they do have a very nice view of the canal.

Atmosphere-
A modern looking restaurant in the middle of a medieval town. A nice aesthetic dynamic. People seemed to dress a little nicer in here. Heard all kinds of languages circulating in the air. The host was very engaging and conversational throughout our dessert and beers... and he spoke eight languages to provide the same hospitality to the other patrons.

Quality-
While the draft beers were served a little on the cold side, they were all excellent or world-class artisanal Belgian beers. Same goes for the bottle list too. The dessert we had was also of excellent quality.

Service-
Food service was slow, but beer service was quick. It always came with a very professional and courteous attitude.

Selection-
Wow. Some very rare gems here. Liefman's Kriek on draught, Alvinne 30 on draught, 1984 Stille Nacht. Just wonderful. Tons of stuff to choose from, none of which seemed to be a macrobrew.

Food-
Both desserts- the apple pie and the mango pie- that we had were exquisite. Certainly worth the wait. Their richness and decadence rivaled that of most Belgian chocolate we had in Bruges.

We went here 3 times and pretty much it was for one beer. Also, if it weren't for the service on the third time the score would be a 4.5 and not a 1.5. Let me explain.

Modern atmosphere with nice and comfortable seats. When we entered each time we were asked if we were their to eat or just for the beer, and when we replied "Beers" we were quickly seated and treated as nicely as we could expect. Selection was very good, all quality and quite a few vintages. Many Christmas beers on tap and bottle as it was the season. We saw that they were offering a 1988 vintage of De Dolle Stille Nacht, so we got one along with two other xmass beers. The Stille Nacht was amazing and brought us back the next day, and then a third. On the third day we were greeted by the same waiter who knew what we wanted and went back to get it. He came back with 2 light colored Stille Nacht's and assured us that they wee in fact the vintages. I privately confronted him saying that I knew that the Stille Nacht has been blonde for a few years and we were paying for the same dark colored 1988 Stille Nacht's we had gotten 2 days in a row. He insisted that they were the same and instead of causing a scene, I sat down and drank the still wonderful beverage. At this point all he had to do was charge us for the regular Stille Nacht (3.50 Euro) and I would have been fine with it all. BUT NO!! we were charged the 6.50 for the 1988 vintage (actually on the receipt). I could have complained more but just left instead. Still had a wonderful time and got to try a beer that was fantastic. thanks for listening to my rant, it feels better to get it off my chest. I probably would end up going back just to see what they had for vintage beers alone.

The atmosphere was nice enough. Modern style, white linens, and red chairs. It is located in a beautiful, midieval section of Bruges near a scenic canal.

While many people here have said good things about the service- my experience was different. We came in late one evening to have dessert and a drink only. When we told the server we were only planning on having dessert his reaction was downright condescending and rude. 'You are only having dessert?!' I actually thought he might kick us out from the way it was said. The restaurant was over half empty at this point, so we weren't holding up a table that could have made more money. We ordered a bottle of Trappist Achel Extra Bruin. When the bottle was brought to the table the waiter pointed out they didn't have the Blond in the cellar (which we didn't order at least) and said he brought the extra instead. The beer was then served in improper glassware (the only place in Belgium I had seen this done). Our server did not appear to have a depth of knowledge in the world of beer despite the advertising as a beer desination. The waiter returned to drop off our food, and then disappeared for over an hour. L'addition S'il vous plait- enough had been seen here.

The food was very good. We had the Flemmish Pear pie. I had never had this before, and it was excellent.

I really wanted to like this place more. Great location, good beer selection, and very good food. Rude service made me feel like persona non grata here. I've worked as a bartender before, and I have nothing but empathy and patience for servers, but there wasn't a good way to rationalize the service here.

We stayed here for a couple nights but since we are cheap we didn't actually eat a meal in the restaurant as it was rather pricey. We did however hang out on the back deck in the sunshine and drink quite a few beers and got to know the very friendly waiter.

The beer menu is quite extensive BUT make sure to ask for what is in the cellar and NOT on the list. That is how we got some Westy blonds for 5 euros (the only Westy they had). They have quite a bit of good stuff at a very reasonable rate.

The waiter, can't remember his name, that we had was great. He came out to check on us quite a bit and told us a lot about Brugge and Belgium in general and gave us a lot of advice on how to fill some empty days on our itinerary.

I wish we could have had the food as I am sure it was excellent but we were living off of bread, cheese, sausages, sandwiches and frites....

We went right before the Zythos. A bit hard to find, but very modern. Parking was a hassle and we had to park pretty far away. Once there we found Erasmus to have very friendly and knowledgeable staff. The food was of extremely high quality and the portions were good-sized. The courses were between 20-30 Euros which seemed pricey, but Brugge seems to be that way. They were out of some of the beer selections and the food courses, but made helpful suggestions. Nice stuff on draft and the waiter made excellent suggestions for additional beer bars to visit. Awesome time, but a bit pricey....

First bar of the trip - 24 hours of traveling and jet lagged we walk the 30 seconds over to the Erasmus. Not what I was expecting - a very urbane and sparse design, while well done not my thing. The service and selection certainly makes up for coolness of the space.

Draft selection is outstanding, however when we were in town they we working the line up down as they would be closing for a month of reno's and hoidays. One of my goals for the trip was to try as many Chritmas beer on tap as possible, and this was a great place to start:

I also had my one and only stout on the trip (a nice break from the usual at home) - Ellezelloise Hercule Stout. Gotta love the Belgian tradition of snacks with your drinks, whether it was my wifes tea, or my beer you always got something good to eat, and Erasmus had the best. Especially on our last night (and their last before closing) we got a full meals worth of toothpickable food. I only wish I had made it there in time to try the Black Albert.

I not only visited Erasmus for dinner and drinks one night while in Brugge but my wife and I also stayed at the hotel.

The restaurant is trendy looking inside and not very large but is welcoming. The draft selection was about 16 or so when we visited and included a good amount of Christmas beers. Over the course of a night of dinner we had several drafts and bottles including Verhaeghe Christmas on draft and Winterkoninkske as well. I was lucky enough to find they still had bottles of De Dolle 21 which was made for their 21st anniversary so the bottle was about 9 years old when I tried it and it was very pleasing. The bottle selection is about 200 or more deep and many of them are on display in the walls of the restaurant.

The food is excellent as well. I had a Flemish Grandmothers stew and frites that was great and my wife enoyed her food as well.

The owner of Erasmus is very nice and the bartenders are helpful in making selections with drafts and bottles.

They often have rare treats in bottle and on draft so Erasmus is definitely one of the top places when you visit Brugge.

the atmosphere of this place is sparse modern decor. fairly plain inside with the exception of the bottles of beer displayed on shelves built into the walls.
all the beers we had were in good condition and served in wine glasses.
the service was inattentive, but average for brugge/western europe.
16 on tap i believe, which were a little more rare, and maybe like ~200 bottles with plenty of good ones.
we sampled some appetizers while we were there and though a little expensive, were good.
a good place to check out if you are spending a few days in brugge, but there are some other places that should be higher on your list of 'must visits.'

Properly speaking, Brasserie Erasmus is first a restaurant, second a hotel, and perhaps a distant third a bar. If you walk in expecting a drink in a pub, you'll probably hate it -- the selection is largely limited to the sixteen beers they have on tap, they don't use proper glassware, you've got good odds of getting an eccentric and absent minded seventy-year-old for a waiter, and the ambiance is white-tablecloth Danish modern. On the other hand, if you stay in the hotel and walk downstairs for dinner, you might like it as much as we did.

First off, the food was easily the best we had in Belgium. After trying it the first night, we couldn't convince ourselves to go anywhere else, including the renowned Dyver around the corner (which would've cost 50% more) our two subsequent nights in Bruges. Erasmus serves high end traditional beer cooking, from fantastic cheese croquettes (is that hops I taste?) to their jaw-dropping stewed eels in cream and gueuze. Their cook was even willing to create an original dish, not on the menu, each night for my vegetarian girlfriend, all three of which were excellent.

Secondly, if you give him the time to warm up to you, and take the time to warm up to him, Tom, the aforementioned eccentric, will be one of the highlights of your trip. Tom loves beer, Bruges and his guests (especially the ladies, in a harmlessly affable way), and seems overjoyed to have the opportunity to share his beer, his food and his city with you.

Yes, the selection is relatively small -- most of the time I tried to order off of their bottle menu they convinced me to get something on draft instead -- but the draft menu is outstanding. Did you know Liefman's made an unsweetened kriek, and it's exceptional? They do, but (apparently) only for Tom. Have you heard of the brewery Vicarus? Beeradvocate hasn't, but when I visited, Tom had a tripel and a "generaal" (reminiscent of the Hercule stout, but fruitier) from them, and they were wonderful. Your drinking will be largely limited to sixteen choices, but all sixteen are going to be hand-picked, many rare or unique, and your waiter will be happy help you explore the menu or suggest pairings.

The Erasmus isn't much of a bar, but I couldn't be happier with the experience as a hotel or restaurant. If you're in Bruges, I urge you to pay it a visit.

We stopped here for a late afternoon drink on 3/25/07. This bar has a very modern feel to it, very city-like for a small town like Bruges. It was very quiet in here, only two other customers. I ordered an Avec Les Bons Voeux and my wife tried the hotel's house brew, the 30th Anniversary tripel. It was funny, out of all the places that we visited on this trip, this was the only bar that did not serve our beer in proper glassware. Both were served in ordinary white wine glasses. A bit boring. This place was OK, nothing special but a decent spot to have a quick drink.

We tried for a dinner at Den Dyver and came up short so our second choice was Erasmus and we asked the owner at Garre to make the reservation for us. It was not difficult at all to locate and upon our arrival the host had no clue about our dinner reservation. He quickly placed us inside where it was hot as hades and gave us time to contemplate our dinner choices and beers. The inside was white tablecloth and very quaint and tiny.

Once he returned we showed him our "Belgian Beer Card" which I had printed off the internet and he said he needed to get the owner. After what seemed like an eternity the owner arrived and said that all drafts would be discounted 25% and he magically became our waiter and took our drink and food orders The drafts were all well chosen with 10 and many bottles. Our beers came very quickly by the same waiter who initially seated us. The cheese served with the beers were very, very good.

Our first course of food was phenomenal for all our party and the same carried through the second. We nearly had to beg for service however, ordering additional beers was a chore. At some point in the evening a blonde lady magically became our waitress. Finally after we had sweated enough we asked to be seated at a table outside for dessert. This was a stroke of genius.

When it came time to pay the bill it was evident that bait and switch was in place and that no discount was coming for the drafts ordered. We had to go to the computer and split the bill and then we were asked to come back to pay at the CC machine and to enter a tip amount. Two of us fell to peer pressure and gave a very small amount extra, one was more intelligent and gave nothing.

I would return to Erasmus for the food, but the service was awful, the food was phenomenal and the drafts were very good. If I could get served at the bar and pay cash, that might be my plan of action.

Another stop on the beer tour of Brugge with Bierschenker. The Erasmus is near the main square and not hard to find. It's a hotel bar, a bit small with only 4 or 5 tables that I saw. The bar seems a bit cramped, but they took good care of their beers and good care of us. Service was prompt and professional. The place has a remodeled look with a lot of light wood.
What really impressed me about the place was the number of taps! Belgium isn't big on draft beer, so seeing Blanche du Pont, Druide, De Ranke XX Bitter (listed as a Dubbel for some reason), Bonnoise, Forestine, Chimay Trippel and Moinette on tap was impressive. I had the De Ranke XX, probably one of the most hopped beers in Belgium. Mild light Muzak going on in the background was mildly annoying, but allowed conversation.
A fair place to have a beer, but there are richer grounds so near by.

I could not believe, would not believe, how poor it had become (so I went again the next day). Sadly, I have to report this is not the place it was, and will not be re-visited by me until I hear something has changed for the better. I shall walk past and look inside, but not go in.

Uninterested staff, boring varnished wood panelling and no atmostphere, stale beer on both occasions and so many other fine bars in Brugge to use.

I am sure it will be removed from the next CAMRA guide to Belgium. In fact I intend to write to Tim Webb and his helpers about it, although I should imagine they already know.

What a pity.

Updated bit (Oct 2009)

Getting better, food and beer wise, still funny with some people who just want to drink during meal times, but the owner wants it to be known as a beer bar as well as a classy eating joint. I have friends who still love it, I'm still not convinced it has returned to its former glory days yet.

Visited Erasmus on Saturday 21st May 2005 at about 6.30 pm. Excellent clearly listed beer menu available, and the service was attentive and efficient (staff are suitably dressed with white shirts and bow-ties. It is a little bit pricier than some of the other places listed as beerbars, but it as it is also a hotel it tries to be a little bit more upmarket. The drawback for me with this place is the atmosphere. The entrance is a hotel entrance with modern style seating to both sides. This gives it a hotel-lobby atmosphere, and on a breezy day in May it was quite cool as the door is always kept open.

We stayed here for 6 nights on our Honeymoon as we took day trips to neighoring cities and toured Brugge.

If you ever get a chance to see Brugge, stay here and drink it in!

Tom, the owner, was a wonderful host (even if he was a bit too interested in my wife!) and a true beer advocate even if he doesn't belong to this site. He tries to keep an interesting an unique array of beers on tap and stocks over 100 great brews in the bottle. At the time we were there, a special unsweetedn Lindeman's kriek was on the tap list along with some others I had never tried including Valeir and Deugniet.

This place is so special there is a De Dolle Brouwers beer brewed for it's 21st year in operation. Tom gave the wife and I each a bottle of this now 8 year old beer as a parting gift. A class act!

The inside is Euro-modern with clean lines and little clutter. A few tables near the taps and the rest of the first floor is dedicated to the dining room. The whole amibience is a bit of a juxtaposition to all the history outside.

Tom, his wife, a bartender and one waitress named Gundrun (Hoon-droon) serve the guests. Tom is very busy and always moving around arranging chairs and straightening up. If he is serving you - expect a little wait. Everyone there was friendly and spoke English. If you speak French, Tom will gladly engage you in conversation. The only reason why this doesn't get a 5.0 is on a few occasions I wanted another beer but couldn't get the attention of Tom.

We ate here for breakfast every day and enjoyed a generous spread including cereal for those who like it. It is always quiet and Tom plays classical music in the background.

The dinner food was some of the best we had in Belgium. Better than our meal at the Den Dyver and for less money. Rabbit, mussels, fish, waterzooi and other Belgian dishes are all prepared with beer.

Stayed here in September 2004 for three nights... Excellent location close to all the touristy stuff (it's about 2 minutes from the main square). There are also plenty of restaurants and bars nearby....

Very good beer selection (around 150 or so) and Tom the owner seemed very knowledgeable and was always happy to recommend something. I particularly enjoyed the unsweetened Liefmans kriek on tap (i've never come across this anywhere else).... Also had Westmalle dubbel and Het Kapittel Prior on tap which can never be a bad thing...

Food was excellent - had the Flemish beef stew which was out of this world....

I had the change to visit this bar/hotel when I met up with Silenius. They have a very interesting beer menu, but it really is a hotel bar. There is nothing really authentical about this one. It is clearly situated in an old building, but renovated.
What is very positive on the other hand is the friendliness of the owners. When you are working in an establishment with a public function you would automatically expect people to be nice, friendly, etc. But we all know thats not always true. These people run their hotel and bar excellently.
They have also taken care of the beer menu. The list is excellent and some of the beers have been aged. Great!
But because it is located in the city centre, it is quite expensive.

didn't strike me as a hotel. the interior made me think of tokyo. being one of only two tables occupied, we received adequate attention. the selection was decent in bottles, probably close to 100 but rather conventional considering the nearby establishments. however the drafts were terrible (for belgium), with chimay white being their highlight beer.

come here for the food.. experimented with the oft-spotted belgian kaaskroket, which is their mozzarella stick... with tasty results. more mussels, and these were some of the finest. chose the moules provenciale, heavy on vegetables and super-flavorful. again, triple karmeliet.. probably my bottled beer of choice while on a belgian vacation (when westy 12 isn't available).

the owner was on hand and constantly checking up with us.. he seemed pleasant and helpful and not until i read an article in bierepassion did i realize how important he is in the beer world.

Had lunch here with Hopshop (formerly grsimon) one day and late night light dinner the next night, and enjoyed both meals. The beer selection was pretty wide, but I was pacing myself and only tried Moinette Blond (new to me) and a Dulle Teve (both very nice!!).

The atmosphere is small and unimpressive. Not bad, just nothing special. Service was fine- the owner(?)/maitre de enjoyed talking to us (in halting English) and we had fun. A travelling 4-piece combo was playing light classical music at dinnertime. The food was very good (a very nice salad for lunch, and a wonderful soup for light dinner).

Be warned- in general, Brugge/Bruges is very easy to get around because everyone speaks English- our waiter here had almost no English; he got the owner (?) matre de who spoke English, but only limited so. Don't let that stop you from going here- it is still a good place to go.

I really enjoyed Erasmus. The beer bar was housed inside the Hotel Erasmus. Quite the odd place for a beer bar. Also, don't expect much of an atmosphere either. Inside, well, it pretty much look's like Denny's. However, what is behind the bar in bottles is what counts.

They had a very nice selection. They had Het Kapittel Prior on tap and while I choose not to indulge, my hetero life mate Zach said that it was absolutely fantastic. Instead I had two rare De Dolle offerings (21 and Zannekin). Although I didn't count, I would guess that the beer list probably ranged between 150-200. The music was classical. The service was excellent. A nice place to relax and find some rare ones as well.

Been here twice on two consecutive trips to Bruges. Had a very nice selection of beers - a few on tap, but mostly from bottle. Proper glassware. Both visits were during the less busy afternoon hours (3-4pm), so didn't have to bother with lunch/dinner crowds or a lot of smoke. Staff was friendly but move at a slow pace, so don't go there if you're in a hurry. Westmalle, Rochefort, Moinette, Hoegaarden, tons of ales and a few lambics. Nice location for a break from the sights. The menu was small and we didn't eat, but the food I saw being served looked nice.